The Mages of Fairy Tail
by Love the Starry Night
Summary: Sometimes, all you could do was shake you head. Well, that, or start a fight. Drabbles on Fairy Tail guild life, occasional shipping.
1. The Book Club

It was with a light heart that Lucy Heartfilia, stellar mage of the guild Fairy Tail, skipped happily down a cobblestone street in the shopping district of Magnolia. Today was the day she had been looking forward to all week long. The Fairy Tail Ladies' Book Club was coming together for its weekly meeting, and Lucy couldn't be more excited. Levy had told her about its formation a little less than a week ago, insisting that she join them for their next session, and it was with genuine eagerness that Lucy had accepted. They were to meet at a café called Au Latte (a play on the phrase "au lait," translated as "with milk," as noted by the stellar mage) to discuss any interesting books that they had read.

"It's really laid back, Lu-chan," Levy had said. "We all get along fairly well."

_Fairly well_ could mean many things, Lucy thought, in conjunction with her raucous guild-anywhere from light camaraderie to inches away from premeditated murder. _Okay, not that bad, _Lucy amended. _But pretty close._

She soon came upon the café. It was an interesting-looking place, to be sure; painted jewel green and appearing to have been shoved tightly between its neighbors at an odd angle, so that the upper floors tilted none to steadily over the shorter building on its right. Rickety steel chimneys jutted from various places on its shingled roof, and four-paned windows stared out through drawn multicolored curtains. Stone steps led up to an all-glass door between two of these windows, through which Lucy spied the rest of the club sitting in and around a comfy-looking alcove. Erza was thumbing through a book as she reclined in a squashy bean bag; Evergreen was perched primly on a wrought-iron chair and studiously studying a page of one of Kemu Zaleon's early works. Lucy climbed the steps, pushed the door open, and joined her group.

"Lu-chan!" Levy exclaimed, setting down the large hot chocolate she had been sipping (it had left behind a dollop of cream at the corner of her mouth, but no one was pointing it out because _dammit, it was adorable_). "Pull up a chair! Now we can get started."

The circle of ladies was made up of the usual group: besides Levy, Erza, Evergreen, and Lucy, Cana, Wendy, Charle, Laki, Mirajane, Bisca, Lisanna, and Juvia were present as well. They all had some sort of refreshment at their side, all strangely coupled with a tall, thin glass of milk. After having ordered a cappucino from a passing waiter, Lucy too was given a glass of the same to go with her drink. Apparently it was a café tradition.

"So, why don't we start off today with Lucy, since she's joining us for the first time?" Levy suggested, marking her page with a heavy-looking metal bookmark. "Lu-chan, is that all right with you?"

"Sure!" Lucy agreed cheerfully, extracting a thick volume from her messenger bag. "This week I began reading _The Tale of the Desert. _It's set in a fictional desert, naturally, and it's about a group of explorers searching for a lost kingdom. The main character is a girl who just got out of prison for killing someone, even though she only did it in self-defense. It's so beautiful because the girl tries to distance herself from her traveling companions but she really just wants to connect with someone, and they go to all of these mystical places that serve as symbols for important events in the protagonists' lives and-" Lucy realized she was babbling. "And it's really good," she finished sheepishly, twiddling her fingers over the book's cover.

As Bisca asked a blushing Lucy if she could see the book, Erza decided to be proactive and volunteered to go next. "I have been reading the second book in a series that I find quite scintillating. The trilogy is not very well known, which is a shame, for I find that it would appeal to a wide range of readers."

"What series would that be, Erza?" Mirajane asked.

"As I said, you may not have heard of it. _One Hundred Shades of Grey_?"

"Gray-sama?!" Juvia cried, looking around anxiously.

"Not that Gray, Juvia," Cana said with a chuckle. "Let's hear some, Erza."

The rest of the ladies nodded in agreement, and Erza opened her book to a passage she found to be one of the best-written. She cleared her throat, and began to read.

After the first few sentences, the entire book club was wide-eyed and overheated. Laki had slapped her hands over Wendy's ears the moment she had heard the word "punishment," having suddenly remembered hearing about Erza's book and its contents. Wendy was confused-the other women had never acted this way before. It was very strange, seeing them shift in their seats as their faces turned redder than Erza's own hair. She gave a questioning look to Laki, who bravely but bereavedly interrupted the reading.

"E-E-Erza-s-san, maybe we s-s-s-should move on t-t-to the next person..." Laki suggested weakly.

Erza, having noticed her companions' unease, obliged, though disappointed to have to cut short what she thought was a very excellent scene. With the _thump _of the cover being shut, the group seemed to remember itself.

"My, my, Erza," Evergreen said, having been the first one to recover. "You certainly know...how to pick them..."

Bisca had to be shaken slightly, and fanned with her hat. Mirajane, who had been the least affected by the reading, suddenly said, "I just remembered, Bisca! I wanted to know-how are things going with Alzack?"

Bisca quite nearly fainted, having previously been thinking, during Erza's reading, of her partner in ways that would obviously make a grown woman blush. "O-o-oh...uh-uhm...w-well...they've been going...well..."

_Obviously they're about to get a whole lot better, _Lucy thought, sipping her milk primly in an effort to cool herself down. Meanwhile Levy was still blushing even up into the roots of her sky-blue hair. Certain..._descriptions_ in the reading had reminded her soundly of a certain iron dragon slayer...

"Juvia would not mind if Gray-sama punished her..." Juvia sighed melodically, hands pressed to her cheeks.

"Perhaps we should move on?" Mirajane suggested, nodding at Laki, who removed her hands from Wendy's innocent ears.

The next one to go was Evergreen. "_I_ just finished reading _Diaries of a Countess._ The main character, who is considered the loveliest girl in her village, is invited to a soirée at the castle of the handsome Count who administrates over the region. He falls in love with her, and they marry, but a jealous woman tries to tear them apart."

"Ever _would_ read something like that," Cana muttered to Lucy, who laughed weakly. She didn't want to do anything that might start a brawl.

Unfortunately, Evergreen heard Cana's comment. "Why don't you tell us what _you've _been reading, then? Something about a drunkard whose life goal it is to find the best pub?"

"Now, now, Ever," Mirajane trilled, her sweet voice laced with threateningly demonic undertones. "Don't make me have to punish you."

For a split second there was silence. Then, Laki barely whispered the word "punishment" before the ladies of the book club collapsed into a fit of red-faced laughter, Evergreen and Mirajane included.

"Eh?! Eeehh?!" a very confused Wendy cried. "Charle, why are they laughing so hard? All Mira-san said was that Evergreen shouldn't make her punish her!"

Meanwhile the cat was trying to hold in her amusement, getting out the sentence, "You'll understand when you're older, Wendy."

Levy wiped tears of mirth from her eyes before calling for the attention of the still-giggling gaggle of ladies. "Why don't we all take a short break to...to collect ourselves?"

The rest of the group agreed, and most excused themselves to touch up their makeup, use the restroom, or order something else from the barista. Lucy remained, but, finding that even a glance at the cover of Erza's book could send her into another round of giggles, got up and wandered to the second floor. It appeared that Au Latte not only housed a cafe, but a used bookshop as well. She happily began browsing the shelves, feeling like a spelunker searching for buried treasure. It was in the middle of this activity that she discovered something displeasing.

Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Pantherlily, and Happy were on the floor. Gajeel was on his side, his ear pressed to the floorboard. Gray was sitting cross-legged beside him, an earpiece hanging on his ear and attached by a cable to a conical device sitting beside him. Happy and Pantherlily also wored earpieces, albeit modified to fit their animal ears, and Natsu was in the same position as Gajeel, though resting on his other side. All five wore expressions of absolute shock.

Lucy approached them, but they made no indication that they had noticed her presence, though it was almost certainly hard to ignore what with the heels of her boots clacking on the hardwood. Lucy crouched down and waved a hand in front of Natsu's face. Nothing.

"Lu-chan, we're getting ready to start again-oh my gosh!"

Lucy looked over her shoulder to see Levy standing at the end of the aisle. Her expression went from one of surprise to on of indignance. "We've told them over and over, boys _aren_'t allowed!"

"I think they heard Erza's book," Lucy said, nodding her head at the device on the floor, guessing that is was some sort of magical eavesdropping tool. "I guess the dragonslayers wouldn't need that thing, what with their hearing and all."

"What should we do with them?" Levy asked.

"I don't know...they're pretty out of it..." Lucy said, poking Happy between the eyes. The cat didn't even twitch. Lucy looked back over her shoulder to find Levy with a curious glint in her eye.

"I think I just had a wonderful idea, Lu-chan," she said, grinning. "Come on-let's go back."

"What about them?" Lucy asked, glancing at their frozen guildmates.

"Just leave them. They'll recover soon, I imagine."

The girls made their way to the stairs. Lucy recognized the change in Levy's demeanor-it was just like the beginning of the S-class test seven years ago, on the boat just off Tenrou Island. Levy had been plotting to get herself and Gajeel ahead of the rest, and Lucy had the distinct feeling that this time it would be the Fairy Tail Ladies' Book Club getting that essential head start.

"Let's mess with some mages," Lucy said to Levy, grinning.


	2. Mornings

**A/N: **so the juices weren't flowing for the book club. Enjoy some GaLe. Warning, sexual content. Nothing MA.

The morning was unusually lovely. The sky over Magnolia was a beautifully clear blue, and the sun was making the water of the canal sparkle as it rippled. The leaves of the trees were green like emeralds, flowers all but overflowing their beds and pots. Spring had sprung and the townsfolk were eagerly anticipating the events of the season.

The sun however was not shining in one certain spot. In the bedroom of a cozy apartment the blinds were closed, leaving the rays only enough room to leak through the cracks, providing only enough light for the occupants to see one another.

A young woman was in bed, her arms wrapped around her lover as she lay beneath him, tracing her fingertips along his spine. They had been making love; both were in so blissful a state that they didn't want to move.

"Gajeel," the young woman whispered. It wasn't the first time she had spoken to get his attention that morning. "Gajeel..."

"Mm," the man murmured, the side of his face pressed against the pillow they shared. "Levy..."

"If we don't get up eventually, we're never going to."

"We're never going to," Gajeel replied, keeping his deep voice as quiet as hers. He didn't want to disturb the intimate silence they shared. He didn't even want to think about moving, let alone getting up. He shifted slightly against her, eliciting a tiny moan of pleasure.

"Gajeel..." This time it was only a sigh of blissful affection. Gajeel rolled onto his back, bringing Levy with him so that he lay beneath her. She sat up, her legs folded at his sides. He grasped her hips, rubbing her hipbones with his thumbs and studying her in the dim light. God, she looked beautiful. Her lips were pink and swollen, slightly parted as she gazed down at him. The slope of her shoulders pulled his eyes along the contours of her body, inwards to her small waist and outwards along her hips, and around the fullness of her thighs. Her skin shone with the perspiration of physical exertion.

"Your hair is a mess," he said, and she laughed, the convulsion of her muscles causing a jolt of pleasure so intense that his eyes rolled back. She exhaled shallowly, having closed her own eyes-she had felt it too.

"Not compared to yours," Levy said after a moment. "I'm going to have to brush it out."

Gajeel propped himself up on his elbows, being careful not to snag any of the long black strands of his mane. He didn't reply sarcastically to Levy's words, as he normally would have; he didn't want to. He was still enjoying the quiet solitude they were sharing. Levy's small hands made their way up his chest, and she bent down and pressed her mouth to his. He dragged the tip of his tongue across her lower lip, pushing it past her teeth, and brought his hands up her thighs, settling them on her waist as he lowered himself back down. Levy made to turn back over, pulling forward on Gajeel's shoulder to indicate that she wanted him to follow. She wasn't as strong as him; she couldn't lift him up like he could her. Now she lay beneath him once again, and she wrapped her legs around him, crossing her ankles. She pulled back from their kiss and seized one of the studs beneath his lip with her teeth, spreading her fingers against the taut, ridged muscles of his back.

"I can't believe you," Gajeel said, his voice rough and low. "After _that _you still have the energy to even _want _more?"

"Mm..." Levy murmured, lips pressed against his throat. She tightened her legs around him. Gajeel inhaled sharply-another jolt of pleasure shot up his spine.

_"Levy." _ He dug the fingers of one hand into the mattress, nearly tearing the sheet. He flexed his back-something he was prone to do when he and Levy made love, as he knew she liked it-and brought her wandering mouth back up to his own.

After a moment the two relaxed against each other-despite the inclination, they hadn't the vigor to continue.

Gajeel rested his forehead on Levy's, who said, "Everyone is probably wondering where we are..."

Gajeel suppressed a snort. "They know where we are. They probably even know what we're doing. They don't know how to mind their own business."

"It's Mira," Levy said. "She's more interested in everyone _else's _love lives than she is her own."

Gajeel rolled off of Levy and onto his back on his side of the bed, arms behind his head. Beside him, Levy turned to lay on her side, facing him. She dragged her fingertips along the lines of his torso, tracing the individual abdominal muscles of his middle and playfully poking his navel.

"So..." she said.

"So?"

"Rent is due pretty soon," Levy commented.

"We've got enough to make it if we don't go on any missions. Might have to eat at the guild for a while though," Gajeel said. After sharing a look, they silently agreed to go out on a job as soon as possible.

Levy sat up and stretched, reaching toward the ceiling while Gajeel admired the visage of his girlfriend completely disregarding her exposure. Not that she cared, of course-she'd long gotten over being embarassed by his seeing her naked.

"Breakfast time," she said, peering down at him and smiling.

"I'm gonna take a shower," Gajeel said, rolling out of bed.

"I'll get one after you."

While Gajeel was in the bathroom, Levy plucked his white button-up shirt from the floor and slipped it on, buttoning the first few buttons and then meandering to the kitchen to start scrambling some eggs. (Gajeel had come home late the previous night after a long day of training, and hadn't bothered with putting his clothes in the hamper-he'd merely stripped off the outer layers and crawled into the covers.)

Gajeel and Levy had been living together for a little over six months, and by then were no longer the subjects of endless gossip. Mira had another successfully administered relationship to stick under her belt, Lucy could claim that she knew all along about Levy's feelings, and Erza could finally accept Gajeel's loyalty to Fairy Tail. All was right once again with the guild. (Except with Droy, who had, after much rehabilitation for his eating habits, relapsed.)

Arms encircled Levy's waist and hoisted her off the ground, causing her to shriek in surprise. "That's not your shirt, Shorty."

"It was dirty anyways!" Levy exclaimed, flailing her legs. "Put me down!"

Gajeel turned and set her down facing their room, unbuttoning the shirt and pulling it off her shoulders. Then, with a pat to her very naked behind, he began tending to the eggs while she went to take her turn in the shower.

They talked about their plans for the day over a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon, debating about what type of job to go out on. They needed something high-paying, but the best jobs were S-Class, and they weren't technically cleared for those despite being capable of carrying them out.

"Oh, when do you think Lily will be back?" Levy asked suddenly, remembering their feline third "roommate." He was away visiting the other Exceeds with Charle and Happy.

"Tomorrow afternoon," Gajeel replied. He suddenly grinned wide, a type of grin that would make a lesser man wet himself. "Today it's just you and me."

"And Lu-chan, and Jet, and Droy, and Mira, Elfman, Lisanna, Natsu, Erza, Gray, Juvia, Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, and anyone else I forgot to mention."

Gajeel made a face, and Levy laughed. Gajeel remembered how, back in their bedroom while they'd still been laying together, her laugh had caused intense pleasure to shoot through his body. He propped his elbow on the table, meeting Levy's eyes as he rested his chin in his hand. "We still have mornings."

As he'd hoped, a crimson blush bloomed across her face, traveling downward to the milky skin of her neck. She diverted her gaze, looking down at the green-and-yellow plaid tablecloth. She was uninhibited when making love, but to talk of it still caused her to become flustered in the most endearing of ways. Gajeel hoped she never grew away from that.

"Let's go to the guild," Levy muttered, her face flaming.


End file.
